Semiconductor chips can be used as substrates for integrating highly sensitive devices like electronic components, electronic circuits, sensors, micro-electromechanical systems, lasers, and the like. In order to protect the highly sensitive devices against environmental stress, e.g. caused by humidity, chemical processes, mechanical destruction, and the like, semiconductor chips are often encapsulated in encapsulation material. The application of encapsulation material to semiconductor chips, however, may create various problems.